


Under the Water

by Lucy_Ferrier



Category: The Halcyon (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Don't copy to another site, Fanart, M/M, MerMay, headcanons and drabbles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:54:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24087682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucy_Ferrier/pseuds/Lucy_Ferrier
Summary: So I want to preface by saying this isn't a fic. its fanart. and headcanonsit's a mermaid au.
Relationships: Toby Hamilton/Adil Joshi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So! tumblr's a bitch and keeps hiding my posts from the tags. *apparently* if you post too often in a tag your blog gets hidden. which is dumb when there's like... two people and a sock puppet posting to the halcyon tags.
> 
> so *mostly* for archival purposes, I'm posting this again here. maybe one day I'll turn it into an actual fic, but right now I don't have the energy. it was all I could do to fix the spelling (which I only just noticed was terrible and I should not be allowed to write after midnight *sighs*)

okay headcanons because why not;

So imagine a world that’s pretty much exactly the same, except every single mythical sea creature exists. Or used to.

For the most part, the sea creatures that interacted most with humans got hunted for parts until they all disappeared. (Imagine mermaid scales as sequins, kelpie head trophies. The oldest creatures would have had copper-based blood (blue, like horseshoe crabs) which could have become commonly used in some pigments etc.) It is generally accepted that mermaids, whilst not necessarily dead, are gone. They don’t come near the shore, they don’t interact with sailors anymore, they stay away from ships, except for the occasional whale!mermaid sinking a smaller ship, shark!mermaids which follow fishing ships if food is scarce, but it's a massive risk to them when they do this.

Mermaids were generally left alone until some weird fashion trend meant people wanted their scales (think beetle shells as decorations on dresses in the 19th and early 20th century) and other parts (let's be real, *someone* would have come up with some sort of fad diet about mermaid meat. yeah, it's like two degrees of separation from cannibalism, but humans are really weird, but we eat other animals that get caught in fishing nets by accident, and as a species, we've pretty much tried to eat _anything_ ). And they also kept getting confused for seamaids and sirens, who regularly killed people, which resulted in massive culls (...like... sharks).

(also: mermaids getting caught in fishing nets, mermaids in shark nets, or caught in plastic and fishing lines, drowning in oil slick...)

The Hamiltons are an old family, most of the men were in the navy (Lawrence is... annoyed that Freddie wanted to fly. as for Toby, well...), and used to have regular interactions with various seafolk, both good and bad, until old man Lawrence's father decided to make a side profit capturing and selling seafolk and animals to the highest bidder (like... the same vein as that madman who bought an ostrich to say he owned one because he was bored and rich, but its everything form dolphins to kelpies. don't ask how. guns are probably the answer) and Lawrence obviously followed that new tradition, though not as much because they're all so rare now.

So for whatever reason, the Hamiltons live near the ocean now, rather than the hotel. Toby regularly goes down to the pier to hide from his family when he just wants to get away. He and Freddie get along much better than in canon. Also, no one cares that he’s gay, but he still hasn't figured it out yet. Priscilla suspects. She tries to be supportive.

Adil washes into the bay during a storm. Because all mermaid stories start like this. It’s not a *bad* storm, just windy, a lot of thunder and the like. No one expects anyone to be washed up on the beach, and so no one sees him. But he gets curious, so he hangs around a bit afterwards, hiding amongst the rocks and caves around the headland during the day. He sees the hamilton twins walking along the beach sometimes; he watches toby (from a distance) when he sits on the pier. If he thinks toby looks particularly upset he leaves a “present” for him, something shiny or silly, just for fun, to make him smile. Toby sometimes thinks he sees something out of the corner of his eye, but Adil makes sure to disappear under the water before he does. But Toby *knows* someone is watching him, and his family thinks he’s mad when he starts rabbiting on about mermaids.

And because he's fairly sure there's someone there, he starts talking out loud to them about everything that pops into his head. A lot of rambling about new things he's learning about, theories about this and that, that one weird dream he had the night before, bitter remarks about his father. Adil floats under the pier and listens to everything Toby has to say, sometimes he splashes Toby on purpose in reply, which makes Toby grin, because he *knew* there was someone there even if he still hasn't seen them properly

Lawrence takes the twins on a trip on one of his navy ships in a last-ditch effort to convince either of them to sign up. (it doesn't work, neither like the kind of history that comes with the job). *blatant theft of the little mermaid plot* there's a storm and Toby goes overboard. *shocked noises* yeah we all saw that coming.

Lawrence: well, that’s a shame. guess I only have one son now

Freddie: *distressed twin noises*

Despite the fact that a mermaid following a navy ship is possibly the worst idea Adil could possibly have, he watched Toby and his brother board, and then Adil swam a few hundred metres behind the ship. Because he’s curious (and oblivious to the fact that he’s got a crush...)

So anyway, Toby's fallen off the boat. And he hits the water shoulders first and it knocks all the air out of him and gives his neck enough whiplash to completely knock him out. The drastic change in temperature could also have played a part in this.

And adil, despite telling himself he's going to keep his distance, that he can't/won't get involved, dives after him and drags Toby up for air. He can't board the ship because of the storm, but even if he could, it's too risky for himself. So he drags toby back to shore, and he waits out the storm under the pier until the storm breaks and Toby wakes up.

Toby: it’s you!

Adil: whatthefuckdoyoumeanitsmeyouhaveneverseenmebefore *panicked gay mermaid noises* *tries to swim away*

Toby: *grabbing Adil's arm* please don’t go yet...

So they stay under the pier a bit longer, and the sun still isn't up yet so it's fine, except the tide’s going out and that’s Adil's way back. And toby has heaps of questions, but now that Adil's right in front of him they all get stuck in his throat and they're both really awkward.

The tide goes out and toby carries adil back to the water. Toby is oblivious to the fact that Adil is having a whole crisis because he just realised he's got a crush. *pats head* good job Adil.

Also, Toby knows Adil's name now. Adil already knew Toby's.

Priscilla throws a fit when Lawrence tells her he didn't even bother looking for Toby and instead jumped straight into funeral planning. Freddie's just numb in a corner. Toby walks in on the argument. Freddie tackles him, Priscilla nearly faints and Lawrence just looks unimpressed.

So, now Toby calls out for Adil when he goes down to the pier.

If Adil isn't there, Toby jumps in the water and pretends to drown. Sometimes he nearly actually does because this idiot can't swim. Adil always shows up then. That's his idiot, and he's not allowed to drown.

Also, that thing about mermaids kiss letting you breathe underwater;

Adil: *kisses Toby*

Toby: he probably just did it so I wouldn't nearly drown again

Adil: ???? no actually I just wanted to kiss you

also; Adil: d'you trust me?

Toby: of course

Adil: *kisses toby and drags him underwater*

Toby: wtf??? *repressed gay panic* *shortly followed by normal panic because he's underwater and not drowning*

Adil: *oblivious* I want to show you something

The first-time Adil kisses Toby, he's the one that runs (swims?) away in a panic. He genuinely was trying to show Toby something underwater, but he realised he liked it a bit too much. The first-time Toby realises that it's an actual kiss and not just Adil showing him something or trying to stop him drowning (Toby nearly drowns a lot, you'd think he'd realise he's being attention-seeking or looking for excuses to be kissed, but he swears its an accident. the repression is still strong) Toby pulls back in shock. Adil swims away because he's still freaking out over his own feelings.

Later Adil finds Toby sitting at one of their other spots to apologise, and Toby's like; you do know, if you hadn't run off I'd've kissed you back.

Adil: *heart eyes*. cue more kissing.

They have a bunch of hidden spots along the beach/rock pools/headland where they meet up. Sometimes Toby tells Freddie about some of the things they do/things adil shows him/tells him, and Freddie thinks it's so cool, but also weird-ish because his brother has a mermaid boyfriend and how does that even happen.

Adil teaches Toby to swim. 

If you want angst, add Lawrence;

(With the exception of Freddie) Adil makes Toby promise he won’t tell anyone where they meet, or that Toby’s seen him, because Adil doesn't feel like getting murdered by a bunch of humans wanting to make a buck.

But he or Freddie slips up one time in front of Lawrence, or Lawrence walked in on them talking about Adil, and he demands Toby tell him where the mermaid is. Obviously Toby says no, but it doesn't matter because Lawrence says he’ll find him anyway.

*borrows another disney plot* Toby runs down to the beach to warn Adil. Very dramatic. And Lawrence follows him without him knowing. Dun dun dun. Obviously, Lawrence doesn't go alone, and there are several of his navy buddies with harpoons/similar waiting for them. 

They catch Adil, and Toby’s screaming because they’re hurting Adil, but also because Lawrence framed it like Toby was in on everything, like Toby lead them to Adil on purpose when he didn't and he needs Adil to know, but mostly he needs those assholes to stop hurting him.

They put Adil in a sealed tank so he can't escape. That's all well and good, but that’s a finite amount of oxygen, even in the water. Adil absorbs all that oxygen through his lungs and his gills in a few hours (the tank is... not big), and there's nothing left in the tank or the water and he starts suffocating.

While this is all happening, Adil's doing some funky inhuman screeching. Lawrence locked Toby in his room because he was causing too much of a fuss and it was annoying him, and Toby can’t work out how to get out because it’s the fourth floor, but then Adil goes quiet... and that’s so much scarier than the screaming.

Toby climbs out the window, along the ledge and climbs back into the next window, which happens to be Freddie's room, and Freddie is very confused because he has no idea what’s going on, somehow. He has to work Toby down from a panic attack before Toby can explain what's going on with their father, and what the screaming was, and of course, he agrees to help.

*dramatic rescue* Toby cracks open the tank. It's like a mix of the suicide scene, and that scene in the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie when the dude breaks the mermaid out of that coffin tank thing. lots of coughing and crying and trying to breathe, with a dramatic hug at the end.

*kiss and make up, but quickly* So Toby carries Adil back up to his room, because now it’s day time and he can’t sneak him back to the beach. Freddie gets enlisted in stealing salt from the kitchen, and they make like, a seawater bath in the meantime. Freddie finally meets adil, and it's very funny and very sweet.

((also like in the potc scene, *possibly* Adil could, technically, grow legs when he gets out of the tank, this can be used for smut purposes *later* but we’re not going there. but also consider really wobbly Adil still needing to be carried, wearing Toby’s way, _way_ too big clothes))

Lawrence is *so* mad, but Toby never left his room so how could he possibly be involved??? And Freddie says he saw nothing, and what? is? going? on? Father? Must be secret mermaid stuff that got Adil out on his own, what a damn shame Lawrence.

When it gets dark, Freddie covers for them so Toby can carry Adil down to the beach. Dramatic kissing, Adil dramatically diving into the water and disappearing. Toby crying as if Adil won't be back in the morning. _Oh, the drama..._ everything is actually gonna be fine, they just have to process everything.

Priscilla is sooooooooo tired of Lawrence's shit. She asks for that divorce, and he doesn't die 20mins later so she actually gets it, and then she kicks him out of the house. The house is her's now.

Toby brings breakfast down to the pier for both of them the next morning and Adil is waiting. Cute picnic date.

Also, consider Toby finally figuring his shit out;

Toby: so mother I’m gay

Priscilla: yes I know, you're dating that mermaid, don’t think I didn't notice. you should have him around here for dinner after your father leaves on his next navy tour

Toby: *whispers* what just happened

Freddie: *shrugs* but you should invite him over when father leaves

Also, mostly unrelated; the Garlands are selkies, instead of some morally questionable murder secret, Lawrence controls Mr Garland by hiding his seal-skin. Priscilla steals it and gives it back to him, like, seconds before she demands her divorce. Sometimes she comes out and there's just two massive fur seals chilling in her living room with Adil, Toby and Freddie. This is a fairly normal and common thing.

also Joe/Emma/Freddie as an aroace ot3. That is all.

Lawrence; *finally has that heart attack*

everyone: wow, what a shame. ANYWAY-


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more art, no headcanons this time, and still no fic. I have a wip, it's just not very good and very very far from complete. 
> 
> this is taken from a scene that I sort of glossed over in the previous chapter. because why would I write the scene when I could just draw it

**Author's Note:**

> so... thoughts? I know it's all a bit messy. (also oh my god I didn't realise it was *that* long, that's insane...)


End file.
